Bethany Joyce - All Souls Missoula "Artist in Residence" (2011/12)
We are thrilled to announce Bethany Joyce as the first ever All Souls "Artist in Residence," a paid position that will run through September 2012!
We believe Bethany is exceptionally qualified for this post. After graduating with a degree in Music from University of Montana, Bethany plays cello regularly for Montana symphonies in Missoula, Helena, and Butte. She is also deeply involved in local bands like Wartime Blues, Stellarondo, and Butter.
Playing weekly for All Souls Missoula for nearly 2 years now, Bethany has been instrumental in producing the Christian & The Sinners debut album due out this November 18. We look forward to supporting her as she continues to contribute to Missoula's music scene!
Q: What IS an “Artist in Residence” program?
While the term “Artist in Residence” is relatively recent (the past hundred years or so), the concept has been around for much longer – people, organizations, and especially churches have been supporting artists for ages: St. Thomas Church in Leipzig made it possible for Johann Sebastian Bach to write a cantata every week back in the 1700s; the Psalms seem to indicate King David employed musicians and a “director of music.”
Here at All Souls, we believe that God calls us to be a blessing to the city of Missoula, not just by meeting needs (mercy), but also by supporting the arts (beauty is one of our core values!). We think that if God loves the arts, we as a church should too. This is why we pay many of our musicians, it's why we worship at Missoula Children's Theatre (both support the arts). And it's why we've long dreamed of having an artist in residence!
Q: So what does an Artist in Residence DO?
We created this program with several key considerations in mind. First of all, we didn't just want to fill a position. We wanted to support someone who making most of their living working in the arts. We were looking for someone who could make a key contribution to artistic excellence within the All Souls community -AND- to the arts and music culture of the greater community in which we live. And we think Bethany does all of these things!
She's had a huge impact on our own music (just wait until you hear the album!); she's also a major contributor to the music scene here in Missoula (she's involved in all sorts of musical endeavors – whether it's rocking with Wartime Blues, making experimental music with Stellarondo, or playing classical music for the Missoula Symphony). We think Missoula is a better place musically because of her.
So we desire to support her in what she does. That's why our Artist in Residence program doesn't actually carry any new obligations – instead, we see it as a way of acknowledging what she is already doing, while making it possible for her to breathe a little easier financially (so she can continue to do it!).
As such, we'll be paying Bethany a modest monthly stipend (in addition to what she already makes), and giving her up to two months leave-with-pay (to tour, to study, to make music). Our goal is to be a blessing to the city, by blessing her. We'll review the program next fall and see how it's working.
Q: But can we actually AFFORD it?
This is another great question (since God calls us to be stewards of our finances, as well as to be artistically creative). The short answer is, “Yes!” By raising money in advance to fund the CD project, all proceeds can go to support music and mission at All Souls. We believe we will be able to fund this new position without any impact to our existing budget, for at least the coming year. Wow! Isn't God amazing?
